Unlikely Parks of Tampa Bay

The Unlikely Parks of Tampa Bay: A Scenic History offers a unique look at some of the region’s most beloved wild spaces. Contained within these pages are profiles of ten of Tampa Bay’s most astoundingly beautiful natural spaces. This is the ongoing story of nature’s persistence and perseverance, not only in spite of human development – but just as often because of it.

Consider these improbable vistas from around the bay area – an active power plant provides the most reliable refuge for endangered manatees. The remains of a ruined cross-bay bridge are repurposed into one of the best fishing spots in the bay. A condemned zoo is reverting in real time into one of the region’s most authentic examples of native habitat. A failed movie studio serves as the backlot for a thriving intertidal mangrove forest. And an abandoned island fortress now stands guard over a federally-protected bird sanctuary.

Turns out that we humans often make a mess of things – but when we get out of the way, the natural world has a way of reclaiming what is rightfully its own, sometimes in the most spectacular of fashions.

From Philippe Park to Fort DeSoto, from Boyd Hill to Weedon Island, from the Skyway Fishing Pier to Big Bend Manatee Viewing Center – thisis a must for anyone with an interest in local history, nature, or conservation. Featuring 150 lush photos, it is also a reminder, in case you needed it – that wild Florida is very much alive in Tampa Bay.

Look inside the book here!